2025-26 MLS NEXT Schedule: Key Dates to Know

The 2025-26 MLS NEXT season will be the sixth in the program’s history and feature the top youth players in North America competing in league play, as well as five premier national and international events.

2025 MLS NEXT Fest will mark the largest youth soccer scouting and recruiting event in North America. Held from December 4-15 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds and Reach 11 Sports Complex in Mesa, Arizona, the showcase event will be unlike any other in North American youth soccer, featuring more than 1,000 teams from at least 200 clubs in all six MLS NEXT age groups (U13 to U19). The 12-day event includes hundreds of professional, national team, and college scouts evaluating more than 30,000 players across 1,850 matches. MLS NEXT Fest will once again feature an opportunity for MLS NEXT Elite Academies to qualify for the 2026 Generation adidas Cup.

One of the most prestigious youth tournaments in global soccer, the 2026 Generation adidas Cup will see MLS academies and top international club academies going head-to-head at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., from March 27- April 4, 2026. The 2026 tournament will also feature the second edition of the Girls Division, in which international club teams compete against Girls Academy teams. Last year’s Generation adidas Cup saw 18 different international clubs from 14 different countries compete against MLS academies in the illustrious tournament.

MLS NEXT Flex represents the final qualifying competition for 2026 MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate, which will be held at the Toyota Soccer Complex in Frisco, Texas from April 23-28, 2026. Teams in each age group are split into groups of four and are seeded based on their performance in league matches from September 2025 to March 2026. The winner of each group will automatically clinch a spot in 2026 MLS NEXT Cup.

The culminating event of the season, 2026 MLS NEXT Cup will feature the top teams from the regular season competing to win a championship in each age group (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, and U19) within the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division. The event will be held for the first time at Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 23-31, 2026. All championship matches will be played at Real Salt Lake’s America First Field.

In the Homegrown Division at the U15 through U19 age groups, 32 teams will qualify for the tournament based on their position in league play, the Pro Player Pathway or via MLS NEXT Flex. At the U13 and U14 age groups, 32 teams will compete in the Championship bracket with another 32 teams in the Premier bracket. In each age group within the MLS NEXT Academy Division (U15 to U19), 16 clubs will qualify via league play and 16 finalists from MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier events will compete for championships in Salt Lake City.

Forty-four of the top MLS NEXT players from the 2025-26 season will compete in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate to showcase their talents on a global stage during MLS All-Star Week. The East vs. West matchup will be played in Charlotte, North Carolina – the site of the 2026 MLS All-Star Game. As part of their selection, the players will be integrated into MLS All-Star week, with a full slate of events and activities in advance of the All-Star Game.

MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier- Regional Tournaments

Eight regional tournaments across 1,300+ teams will serve as Academy Division qualifying competitions for a championship event at MLS NEXT Cup. These events will be marquee talent identification opportunities for college, professional, and national team scouts to evaluate players.

Each regional conference will be managed by leading league operators across the youth landscape- the National Academy League (NAL) operated by 3Step Soccer, Elite Academy League (EAL), Sporting Development League (SDL), Cobalt Sports, and Cal North Soccer Association.